The FBI has observed a massive uptick in the number of tips it is receiving, and the bureau is using artificial intelligence to sort through the thousands of incoming phone calls and emails.

FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said at the Billington CyberSecurity Summit that the bureau often records approximately 4,000 incoming calls and emails providing tips in a given day.

Mr. Abbate said on Wednesday that he just learned during a morning meeting that the FBI received a record number of incoming tips surging past 7,000 in one day. 

“We only have so many personnel, human beings, that are applied to that so we’re leveraging technology and AI to help … prioritize incoming complaints so that nothing is missed,” Mr. Abbate said. 

Asked if the uptick in tips was about a specific threat or reflected a heightened number of threats, the FBI did not answer The Washington Times’ questions on Wednesday night.

The FBI has previously shared some details about how it uses AI to comb through tips. In June, Cynthia Kaiser, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s cyber division, said the bureau deployed AI on tips because the tech can spot what people might miss.

“After it’s looked at by a human, after it’s flagged one way or another, we’re using natural language processing models to also go over the synopsis of the text of what that phone call or online [tip detailed] to see did we miss something?” Ms. Kaiser said at a conference hosted by General Dynamics Information Technology.

• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.